Ruminations and ponderings by the Last of the Montgomery Rebels Fans on the Montgomery Biscuits and Montgomery Alabama area baseball history.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Falling Stars

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Another step towards defunct-ity for the Stars as the Southern League owners have been summoned to Orlando for a vote on the sale of the Huntsville franchise today.

The Brewers have deferred comment to the Huntsville Stars front office. The Stars front office says "talk to the league office" and the Southern league pres has no comment.

INFER WHAT YOU LIKEFrom that, we can likely say that the Stars are doomed following the vote and that Biloxi has indeed gotten its team for 2015.

Factors in the voting include getting a majority of owners to approve the sale, as well as MLB blessing to abandon Huntsville and open shop in Pensacola for the 2015 season.

REALIGNMENT

Some teams may have issues over travel time, going to the Mississippi coast instead of centrally located Huntsville will surely mean a change in how the divisions are drawn in the Southern League.

A few possible changes in divisions were covered in an earlier post, but it comes down to Montgomery moving to the North or the league going back to East-West divisions.

SPECULATIN
Mobile could be unhappy having to share market space with yet another gulf coast team. They may ask for money, like they did from Pensacola.

Chattanooga, the Smokies or Jackson Generals could have hurt feelings for adding to their travel time, but even if all three and Montgomery vote against there could be a majority for passing the sale.

FLY ON THE WALL
I have considered there was a chance of a major minor league overhaul, and at every turn I was told that it would have to be directed by MLB. It looked to me like this is being directed by MLB, so I think anything is possible. We may never know the depth of the discussion, or all the possible angles involved.

COULD GET WEIRD
It could be a very interesting meeting, consisting of Southern League team owners, MLB representatives and assorted posse, League pres Webb, MiLB representatives and their crew, the marketing and economics experts and a Baskin-Robbins of Lawyers (all flavors).

All options, no matter how bizarre are on the table when at the owners meetings.

The announcement could come out of such a meeting with a marketing survey filled out by crosseyed Bieberfans as Selig nods off his dozing is mistaken for approval, then who knows WHAT we end up with!

ON HUNTSVILLE
The Stars have been on their way out of Huntsville for most of the past year, some would say much much longer.

The Joe

The Joe is one of the worst ballparks for seeing baseball in the league, and abused fans dont keep showing up to games... eventually forcing this kind of change.

Politics of Huntsville and the economy kept the city from backing any effort to build a new park, which meant that the team would go elsewhere.

PITY THE SURVIVORS

playoffs vs stars

The victims of the whole affair have to be the few loyal Stars fans, who have tried to support the team in spite of the crappy ballpark and bad teams and lousy local politics. They deserve better.

They have had no help from anyone, Stars ownership, city of Huntsville, Southern league, the media and least of all - from Biloxi and their large pile of oil-spill cash.

SILVER LINING

Its hopefully the last stab that car saleman from Wisconsin can throw at us before they cart him away.